'Fencing work for 4.35 km of the border could not be carried out due to objections by the Border Guard Bangladesh.'
Assam Border Fencing
Border fencing along a 4.35-km stretch of the India-Bangladesh border in Assam has remained incomplete due to objections from the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), the Assam assembly was informed on Monday.
Replying to a question by AGP MLA Diptimayee Choudhury during the Budget session, Assam Border Protection and Development Minister Atul Bora said the affected stretch is located in Sribhumi district along the banks of the Kushiyara river, where Indian citizens reside.
Key Points
- Border fencing along a 4.35-km stretch in Assam's Sribhumi district remains incomplete due to objections from Border Guard Bangladesh.
- Indian citizens reside along the affected Kushiyara river stretch where fencing work has been stalled, the Assam assembly was informed.
- Another 34.609 km of the India-Bangladesh border remains unfenced because the route passes through riverine terrain.
- Assam shares a 267.5-km border with Bangladesh, of which 228.541 km has already been secured with barbed-wire fencing.
- Authorities rely on enhanced surveillance and river patrols in unfenced riverine areas to tackle infiltration and cross-border smuggling.
'Fencing work for 4.35 km of the border could not be carried out due to objections by the Border Guard Bangladesh. Indian citizens live there on the bank of the Kushiyara river in Sribhumi district,' Bora said in his written reply.
The minister also informed the House that another 34.609 km of the international border remains unfenced because it passes through riverine areas, making the construction of barbed-wire fencing impractical.
Of this, 30.37 km lies in Dhubri district and 4.239 km in South Salmara-Mankachar district.
According to the minister, Assam shares a 267.5-km border with Bangladesh across Dhubri, South Salmara-Mankachar, Cachar and Sribhumi districts.
He said barbed-wire fencing has been completed along 228.541 km of the border, while the remaining stretches are either affected by objections from the Bangladesh side or comprise riverine terrain where conventional fencing cannot be erected.
Riverine Border Challenges
Border fencing along the India-Bangladesh frontier is being undertaken as part of efforts to strengthen border management, curb illegal infiltration, and check cross-border smuggling.
The unfenced riverine stretches continue to pose operational challenges for border guarding agencies, which rely on enhanced surveillance and river patrols in such areas.
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff
